Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969 and was one of the strongest players in the world throughout his lengthy career. Petrosian was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980).

This book was originally published in Russian as Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian Chess Lectures. The publisher was Soviet Radio. Every chess enthusiast should have this important work in his chess library.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn.

Tigran Petrosian was a World Chess Champion and a true legend of the game. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" because of his incredible defensive skills that made him a formidable opponent who was virtually impossible to defeat. Petrosian was the master of restraint, prophylaxis and prevention. He could spot and defuse threats well before they were created, suck the life out an opponent's position and then seize a vice-like grip on the game. In this book, International Master Thomas Engqvist selects and examines his favourite Petrosian games, and shows us how we can all learn and improve our chess by studying Petrosian's masterpieces.

The legendary chess players that Genna Sosonko brings to life in this new collection of his acclaimed writing have one thing in common: Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal and Petrosian, they were all world champions.

This book marks the end of an era: the mighty Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) loses his world title fifteen years after he conquered the highest crown for the first time. It is a gripping account of a heroic battle. The ageing Botvinnik desperately tries to bounce back after his Armenian opponent Tigran Petrosian has taken an early lead, but ultimately fails.

The 1958 Interzonal Chess Tournament in Portoroz was one of the most important and strongest tournaments in chess history, and is still regularly discussed in chess circles today. This is the tournament where the 15-year-old Bobby Fischer earned the grandmaster title and first became a contender for the World Chess Championship. It is also the tournament where Mikhail Tal finally got his first chance to compete in a grandmaster tournament outside of the Soviet Union, and started one of the longest non-losing streaks in chess history on his march to the World Chess Championship.

This is the second volume of a two-volume work on the games of Tigran Petrosian. The first volume has his games from 1942 to 1965. Tigran Petrosian was World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He became the first player in the modern era to win a match to defend the world chess title, by defeating Boris Spassky in a match in 1966.

Tigran Petrosian was a World Chess Champion and a true legend of the game. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" because of his incredible defensive skills that made him a formidable opponent who was virtually impossible to defeat. Petrosian was the master of restraint, prophylaxis and prevention. He could spot and defuse threats well before they were created, suck the life out an opponent's position and then seize a vice-like grip on the game. In this book, International Master Thomas Engqvist selects and examines his favourite Petrosian games, and shows us how we can all learn and improve our chess by studying Petrosian's masterpieces.

Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian was the ninth World Chess Champion. He held the title for six years amongst difficult competition, and is known for his ultra defensive style. Tigran Vartonovich Petrosian was born on June 17, 1929 in Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. He learned to play chess at the age of eight. At the age of twelve he began playing at the Tiflis Palace of Pioneers. He began training with experienced Soviet players and began reading chess books. He was greatly influenced by writings and the positional styles of Aaron Nimzowitch and Jose Capablanca. In 1947 Petrosian competed in his first Soviet Championship and n doing so earned the title of national master. Petrosian would later move to Moscow where he would continue to play against stronger opposition.

Petrosian continued to improve quickly and in 1951 he would place second in the Soviet Championship to Paul Keres and earning him the title of international master. Two years later he would earn the title of international grandmaster and qualify for the Candidates Tournament for the World Championship. Petrosian would place fifth in the candidates tournament and therefore would not earn the right to play for the title. The 1950's were somewhat of a slow growth period for Petrosian. His defensive style produced many draws which he did not seem to mind. As his tactical abilities sharpened and his technique became slightly more refined, Petrosian rose to the top of Soviet chess by winning his first Soviet Championship in 1959. He would go on to win a total of four USSR Championships (1959, 1961, 1969 & 1975).

In 1962 the surging Tigran Petrosian once again qualified for the Candidates Tournament. Petrosian won the tournament with a stellar field that included: Bobby Fischer, Mikhail Tal, Pal Benko and Paul Keres. By winning the tournament Petrosian earned the right to face Mikhail Botvinnik for the world championship. Petrosian and Botvinnik would play for the title in 1963. The younger Petrosian employed his meticulously patient defensive style. The two battled to 15 draws, but in the end it was Petrosian who was able to capitalize on Botvinnik's inaccuracies and win the match by a score of 12 ½ to 8 ½ . Tigran Petrosian became the ninth world chess champion.

In 1965 Petrosian defended his title against up and coming Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky . The two would have seventeen draws in their match, but Petrosian would win four games to Spassky's three and hold onto the title with a final score of 12 ½ to 11 ½ . Spassky would earn the right to rematch Petrosian three years later n 1969. This time Spassky would emerge victorious 12 ½ to 10 ½, becoming the tenth world chess champion. Petrosian continued to play with success in major tournaments, but never regained the world championship crown. Bobby Fischer would soon come into his prime and became an obstacle in the path to the world championship that Petrosian could not overcome.

Tigran Petrosian, the predominant world chess champion of the 1960's died on August 13, 1984 of stomach cancer. Today, he remains largely underappreciated. This is most likely due to his defensive style. Most chess fans prefer to see an aggressive attacking style, and often overlook the subtle beauty of Petrosian's play. Most notably Petrosian was a spectacular endgame player. Petrosian's legacy will be that of perhaps the greatest defender in the history of the game. He would methodically reinforce his position, making sure not to have any weaknesses and wait for his opponent to provide him with the right moment to strike. While he frequently gave draws, Petrosian was one of the hardest men to beat. He was given the nickname "Iron Tigran" for his almost impenetrable defensive schemes.

Some famous Petrosian Quotes: "Turning chess into Poker and hoping for a bluff is not one of my convictions"

"The criterion of real strength is a deep penetration into the secrets of a position"

On Petrosian: "He is not the most talented or the strongest player, but certainly the most inconvenient player in the world! His ambition is not to play actively, but to paralyze his opponents intentions" – Mikhail Botvinnik

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